Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-08

made for it that the most careful OBJ
server can scarcely discover where the
joint is. Should the door be removed,
another one will soon be put in its
place. These spiders hunt their prey
by night and devour them in the nest.
A pair of spiders, with twenty or thir-
ty young ones, often livein one of these
nests.
One of the largest nests to be met
with in this country is that of the laby-
rinthic spider, whose web every one
has seen spread out like broad sheet
in the hedges. The middle of this web,
which is of a very close texture. is sus-
pended like sailor hammock by fine
silken threads fastened to higher
branches. The whole curves upward.
sloping down to long funnel-shaped
gallery, nearly horizontal at the en-
trance, but winding obliquely until 1t
becomes almost perpendicular. This
gallery is about quarter of an inch
in diameter is more closely woven
than the sheet part of the web, and
generally descends into hole in the
ground or into soft tuft of grass.
Here is the SPIDERS dwelling place,
where he may be found resting, with
his legs extended, ready to spring and
catch the hapless insects which get en-
tangled in his sheet net.
The most famous of all spiders is the
tarantula. 1t is an inhabitant of Italy,
Cyprus and the East Indies. Its breast
and abdomen are ash-colored, as are
also the wings, which have blackish
rings on the inner side. Its eyes are
red, two of them being larger than the
others and placed in the front of its
head. Four others are placed in a
transverse direction near the mouth,
and the remaining two are close to the
back. 1t generally lives in bare fields
where the land is soft, and it avoids
damp, shady places, preferring ris-
ing ground.
Its nest is four inches deep, half an
inch wide and curved at the bottom,
and here the insect retreats in unfav-
orable weather, weaving web at the
door for security against rain and
dampness. In July it casts lis skin
and lays eggs to the number OF seven
hundred and thirty, but docs not I've
to rear the young, rs it dies in the
early winter.
The bite of this spider was formerly
regarded as fatal. 1t was said that the
part bitten became greatly indamcd,
then sickness and faintncss came on.
followed by difficulty in breathing and
then by death. The only cure reSorted
to was music. A musician was brought
to the patient, and he tried one air
after another until one was found that
would make the sufferer dance. The
violence of the exercise brought on
profuse Precipitation, which cured the
disorder. All this was long believed,
but its truth was questioned, and in
vestigation showed that the tarantula
was harmless, and that the supposed
injuries inflicted by it were made use
of as an excuse for indulging in dance
similar to that of the priestess of Bac-
chus, which the introduction of Chris
tianity put an end to. Those who were
not imposters were merely afflicted in
consequence of the bite with that ner-
vous illness known as st. Vitus' dance,
and to this saint many chapels have
been dedicated.
A story is told that gentleman
travelling in Italy several years ago
was anxious to see the dance, but it
was too early in the year to find the
spider, and the only thing he could do
was to prevail upon n young woman,
who had been bitten the year before,
to go through the dance for him just
as she did at that time. She agreed
to the proposal, and slow. dull music
was played until the right chord was
touched, when she started up with a
frightful yell, staggering like a
drunken person, holding u handker-
chief in each hand and moving cor
rectly to the tune. As the music be-
came more lively the more wildly she
jumped about shrieking all the time.
The scene was most painful through
out. She was dressed in white and
adorned with ribbons of various
colors, and her hair fell loosely about
her shoulders, which were covered with
a white scarf. This is the manner in
which they are all dressed.
There is another interesting species
OF this insect the water diving spider.
The diving spider is not satisfied, as
frogs are, with the air furnished by
the water, but independently carrie:
down supply with him to his subma
rine territory. When the little diver
wishes to inhale fresh supply of air
he rises to the surface with his body
still IN the water, generally coming W
every fifteen minutes, although natur
alists state that he can remain in the
water for many days. A thick coating
of hair prevents his getting wet ol
otherwise inconvenienced. This spider
spins his cell in the water. 1t is com
posed of closely-woven, strong, whit,
silk. and is shaped like half pigeons
} egg. Sometimes this nest is allowed
} to remain partly above the water
though generally it is submerged, anC
} is attached by great many irregular
threads to some near object Tn,
only opening is at the bottom. This
} is sometimes shut when the spider re
mains quietly at home with his head
downward. He remains in this posi-
} ton during the winter months. = BoS
} ton Herald.
"A New Brunswick On. J.) four
year-old. on seeing the cook take the
| u, I.,d r1o%otooe from tho Oxan Was aS